Filaret: To remedy the situation, Epiphany must obey me
In his Address, Filaret said that at the time of the creation of the OCU, there was an agreement with Epiphany that the “patriarch” should lead the structure.
In connection with the situation that has emerged in the OCU, Filaret published the Address, in which, in particular, he said about the agreement between him and Epiphany on the joint management of this structure. The Address is published on the official website of the Kiev Patriarchate.
“In order to rectify the situation, and it can be rectified, it is necessary to comply with the agreements that were reached before the Council in the presence of President P. Poroshenko and the bishops,” writes Filaret. “And this means that the Primate is responsible for the external representation of the UOC, and the Patriarch is responsible for the internal church life in Ukraine but in cooperation with the Primate”.
Filaret particularly emphasizes that Epiphany Dumenko is obliged to coordinate his actions with him, the “patriarch”, and, in fact, to obey him: “The primate does nothing inside the Church without the consent of the Patriarch. The Patriarch presides at meetings of the Holy Synod and at the Council of the UOC in the interests of preserving unity, its growth and establishment.”
We recall that in the text of the Address, Filaret said that the Kiev Patriarchate was not dissolved and he considers himself its head.
